Zak Crawley has declared himself fit, but Ben Stokes the English captain is still doubtful to play in Monday’s opening Test of England’s tour to Pakistan. During a training session in Multan on Friday, Stokes batted for about thirty minutes in the nets and bowled off a brief run-up, but it is unlikely that he would be included when England names their team on Saturday.
During the August Hundred, Stokes injured his left hamstring while batting, which prevented him from playing in England’s Test series against Sri Lanka. In his recuperation, he has been aiming for this three-game series. Stokes, however, said earlier, “I’d rather take an extra two weeks than run the risk of potentially doing something worse, and then putting myself out of the game for longer.”
Ollie Pope, who led England to a 2-1 victory over Sri Lanka, will continue to fill in as captain of the team if Stokes is sidelined. Chris Woakes, who is expected to play his first overseas Test in 2.5 years and would help balance the team from No. 7, could also benefit from Stokes’ probable absence.
With a broken finger that kept him out of the Sri Lanka series, Crawley will be making a comeback to the team and stated England are prepared even if Stokes misses out. “We’ve got a really deep squad, with plenty of options with the ball and with the bat as well,” he said. “We feel ready. Whatever team comes out, it will be a nice balance either way.”
As is customary for them, England will name their XI two days prior to the first Test, and Crawley hinted that Stokes’ participation will be decided upon at a later date. “He seems to be going well, recovering well from his injury,” he said. “We don’t know just yet. I think he’s got to do a few more tests, but he’s been doing some running and stuff.”
After arriving early on Wednesday morning, England practiced for the first time in Multan, the location of the first two Tests of this three-match series, on Friday. Ten weeks after his last innings, Crawley said he felt “brand new” and ready to play, even if he won’t be fielding in the slips. England won’t play any warm-up matches before the first Test.
